A Study On The Prefecturalization Of Fan-Zhen In Northern China From The End Of The Tang To The Early Song Dynasty(874-997)

This dissertation studies on the the Prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen藩镇州郡化in Northern China from the End of the Tang to the Early Song Dynasty.To fully understand this process,political background and the activities of political groups must be taken into consideration besides the institutional changes over time.The rapid changes of regimes in this period was the political background of the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen.The Later Liang and the Later Tang Dynasty originated from powerful Fan-Zhens in the Late Tang Dynasty,they were Regime Formed From Fan-Zhen方镇为国.During the state founding process,Zhu Wen朱温and Li Cunxu李存勖had controlled many Fan-Zhens,which could be categorized as Jian-Zhens兼镇,Shu-Zhens属镇and Fu-Zhens附镇,each played a different role in building relatively centralized regimes.Regime changes could only take place with the help of capital armies’rebellion or Khitan invasion since the Later Tang’s foundation.An Chongrong’s安重荣famous saying:“The throne should be taken by the most powerful military leader,instead of decided by his lineage”,happened in such political background.The adjustment of administrative level was the first aspect to notice about the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen.Through Prefecture’s Zhuanda州郡专达,redistricting Fan-Zhen’s jurisdiction and managing prefectures directly under capital,Fan-Zhen was weakened continuously.The central government preferred to redistrict Fan-Zhen’s jurisdiction in the Late Tang and the Five Dynasties,meanwhile the Later Liang emphasized Prefecture’s Zhuanda.The Song Dynasty tried to manage all prefectures directly under capital.Fan-Zhen disappeared permanently since the Emperor Taizhong took over all Fan-Zhens’prefectures in 977.After that,Prefecture’s Zhuanda was fully realized in the Northern Song Dynasty.The adjustment of prefecture’s power structure through Zhi-Zhou知州,MuzhiZhouxian Officials幕职州县and Du-Jian都监,played a vital role in the process of the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen.In the Five Dynasties,Zhi-Zhou was appointed by the central government instead of Fan-Zhen since the Late Tang.After the enthronement of the Emperor Zhenzhong,Zhi-Zhou replace Ci-Shi刺史as the title of prefect.In 964,the central government finally took back the power of appointing Fan-Zhen’s staffs,which had already became the prefecture’s officials in both function and management.In the same year,the promulgation of the Selected Regulation of Shaoyin-Muzhi Officials少尹幕职官参选条件formed the System of Muzhi-Zhouxian Officials.DuJian,which originated from Director-in-Chief都监军使of Xing-Ying行营in the Late Tang,was entitled to supervise Xing-Ying and Fan-Zhen with limited power after the abolition of eunuch Jian-Jun-Sh监军使.Du-Jian transformed from army supervisor to military officer in Early Song.Its status was on the upgrade in a short time,and then it divided into Zhu-Po Du-Jian驻泊都监and Prefecture Du-Jian.Prefecture finally established a decentralized system that Zhi-Zhou and Tong-Pan通判took responsibility to civil affairs,and Du-Jian in charge of military force in Early Song Dynasty.Military Commissioners节度使and local litterateurs had close connections with the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen.In the case of Zhang Quanyi’s term in Luoyang,he developed the economy and rebuilt Luoyang City.And with the help of family,kin and social contacts,he constructed a relatively closed local power structure based on himself.Military Commissioners might have different attitudes as the progress of the prefecturalization,and their local power structure collapsed finally.Local litterateurs were affected by the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen in many aspects.They served Military Commissioners as staff,joined the army,or lived in seclusion when the prefecturalization backward shifted in the Late Tang,while became willingly to take imperial examinations and serve the state as the progress of the prefecturalization in Early Song.They also took part in and influenced the process of the prefecturalization through changing themselves.The case of Liu Kai’s Family revealed the complex connection between local litterateurs’activities with the prefecturalization in this period.Through the prefecturalization of Fan-Zhen,Song government established a decentralized system in local level.Such change of local power structure from centralized to decentralized was not only a difference between Tang and Song,but also a turning point in local administrative system of traditional China,which had its farreaching influence in Chinese history.